Hibernation habitat

[JB99]

I'm wanting to know if there are any kind of mud hibernation habitats that one can put into a lined pond. I discovered a dead frog that had been hanging out all last spring and summer. My pond gets 3" of ice in the winter and I think the little guy was trying to bury himself in the mud where none exists.

 

[Stephen Noble]

Do you have a pond bubbler or heater to keep a hole in the ice? Frogs unlike aquatic turtles, need oxygen rich water to survive during the winter. They rarely 'dig in' the mud bottom like a turtle. Rather, they tend to rest on the mud and often slowly swim around during the winter. A completely frozen pond (3 inch thick) ice cap is a death sentence for a frog.

 

[GBBUDD]

I'm wanting to know if there are any kind of mud hibernation habitats that one can put into a lined pond. I discovered a dead frog that had been hanging out all last spring and summer. My pond gets 3" of ice in the winter and I think the little guy was trying to bury himself in the mud where none exists.

WHICH IS WHY I WILL leave some leaves at the bottom of the pond so they have a place to go for a long nap

 

[JB99]

Do you have a pond bubbler or heater to keep a hole in the ice? Frogs unlike aquatic turtles, need oxygen rich water to survive during the winter. They rarely 'dig in' the mud bottom like a turtle. Rather, they tend to rest on the mud and often slowly swim around during the winter. A completely frozen pond (3 inch thick) ice cap is a death sentence for a frog.

I have an aireator that runs and keeps a circle free of ice. Outside to circle is 3” of ice.